A well-trained hunting dog recovers game that would otherwise be lost. That is the ethical argument. The practical argument is that hunting with a dog is simply better hunting — more successful, more complete, more connected to the tradition.
A well-trained hunting dog recovers game that would otherwise be lost. That is the ethical argument, and it is a strong one. Studies of driven pheasant shoots in the UK suggest that without dogs, 15–25% of shot birds are not recovered. For deer stalkers, a trailing dog after a poor shot is the difference between a recovered animal and a wounded one left in the forest.
But the ethical argument undersells the case. The practical argument is that hunting with a dog is simply better hunting — more successful, more complete, more connected to the tradition that makes hunting worth doing at all.
I have hunted with a German Shorthaired Pointer for eleven years. I cannot imagine hunting without one.
Choosing the right breed
The right dog depends on what you hunt. For upland game — pheasant, partridge, grouse, woodcock — a pointing breed is ideal. The GSP, Vizsla, and English Pointer are the most versatile across European terrain and climate.
For wildfowl — ducks, geese, waders — a retriever. The Labrador Retriever is the most proven wildfowling dog in Europe. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is increasingly popular for its combination of drive and tractability.
For stalking and blood-trailing wounded deer, a Bavarian Mountain Hound or a Dachshund (the traditional German tracking dog) is the specialist tool.
Do not try to make one dog do everything. A GSP can track deer adequately but is not a specialist. If you stalk deer regularly, train a specialist tracking dog.
The training commitment
A hunting dog requires two to three years of consistent training before it is fully effective in the field. This is not a weekend project — it is a daily commitment that continues throughout the dog's working life.
The reward is a partnership that no other aspect of hunting can replicate. A dog working a hedgerow ahead of you, quartering methodically into the wind, marking a fall 200 metres distant and driving a straight line to the retrieve — this is one of the great pleasures of the hunting life.
Invest in the training. It will repay you a hundredfold.
Erik Lindqvist
GSP Breed Specialist & Hunt Guide, Jämtland, Sweden